


Light of my Life

by StormySeaWitch



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Aged Up, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Kidfic, M/M, Married Life, Miscarriage, Original Characters - Freeform, Sometimes a little bad language, This fic is just sinfully sweet, because i can't help myself, domestic AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 00:13:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12544472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormySeaWitch/pseuds/StormySeaWitch
Summary: Keith and Lance are happily married. They have a brand new house, stable jobs and finally a dishes roster that's fair to both of them. Hunk and Shay live around the corner with their daughter. Shiro and Allura own a successful business in the city. Everything is picture perfect. But what's life without a little chaos and uncertainty?





	Light of my Life

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Light of my Life!  
> This fic was written for the Potential Zine, which unfortunately ran into some issues, but it was still a genuine pleasure to be a part of. I met some amazing people, and the mod did such a fantastic job since they did it all on their own. I suggest everyone jump onto the blog and have a little peek at everyone else's work! You'll also find that the amazing and lovely Aetherlogic has done art for this fic! If you don't follow her, what in the hecky is wrong with you?  
> Thanks to Su, as always, for being the beta I need but do not deserve <3

 

Lance beams as their agent drops the keys into his outstretched palm.  


'Congratulations, both of you, on your new home.'  


Keith kisses his temple, pulling him closer with an arm around his shoulder.  


'Thank you so much,' Lance replies. They accept a congratulatory gift of wine tied with a bow and it takes all of his self control not to run back to the car. Keith is just as excited, but he's always been better at reining in his emotions.  


They drive the familiar path (familiar because both of them drive past the house nearly every day, especially since the advertising board had been improved with a large SOLD sticker) to their house, and Lance is on the front step before Keith has even undone his seatbelt.  


'Do you want to do it, or me?'  


'Lance, just open the door,' Keith replies with a laugh, grabbing something from the back seat.  


'This is our home, I want you to open it with me,' Lance croons, and Keith has never been good at saying no to Lance. Together, they turn the key in the lock and open up their new home for the first time.  


It's big, much bigger than their tiny apartment. From the doorway, they stare down a wide hallway, with an archway to the left leading towards the family room, and a door to their right that led to the master bedroom. The floorboards are gleaming, newly polished when the house went on the market, and Lance can already see where he'll put up their photos along the walls.  


There's another three rooms on the left, two smaller bedrooms and a room that could be a very small fourth bedroom, or a study. The kitchen was tucked in the back corner of the house, the dining room separating it from the family room.  


'It's perfect,' Lance sighs, hugging Keith around the middle and leaning into him.  


'It really is... here, put this up, and you can officially say that you moved the first thing in,' Keith says, handing him a framed photograph. Their wedding photo. Nothing flash, the two of them sitting at a long table surrounded by their friends. Lance kisses him again, and places the photograph on the mantle, above the fireplace. They have a fireplace, he can't get over that.  


'What say you to Chinese takeaway and a movie before bed?' Lance asks, running a finger along the mantle and examining the dust.  


'Sounds good. It's my turn to choose the movie, you know that?'  


'I'm not watching another Sharknado, two is enough for me.'  


'That's fine, I was thinking Robocroc,' Keith replies, and Lance can't help but groan. They lock the door behind them, and drive away, bickering lightheartedly all the way to the Chinese place on the next block.  


#  


'Good morning!' Lance cries, opening the door to their apartment. Hunk and Shay give him wide grins, and Hunk holds out a tray of coffee.  


'Thought you could use a little boost.'  


'Ah, you're a gem,' Lance declares, taking the tray from him.  


The apartment is mostly bare, save for boxes and bags. All the furniture has been either dismantled or shoved in the corner. There's a blanket and some pillows on the floor where Keith and Lance had slept on their last night in the apartment. The walls are bare; it's like no one had ever lived there at all.  


'Man, I'm gonna miss this place,' Hunk sighs. 'So many good memories.'  


'I know, right?' Lance replies wistfully. Keith appears from the kitchen, and takes the coffee that his husband hands him.  


'Hey guys, thanks for coming out.'  


'Moving is stressful, just remember that we helped when it’s our time to move house, yeah?' Hunk says with a chuckle.  


'Of course, of course. Shiro said he'd be around later, but Allura has an appointment this morning and he wants to go with her,' Keith adds, picking up a box labelled 'bathroom' and stacking it on top of a box labelled 'Lance's treasures'.  


'Have they caved yet?' Shay asks, a knowing smile on her face. Keith grins.  


'Allura did. She knows but she won't say. Shiro has held out, I'm impressed.'  


'I couldn't do it. It killed me not knowing,' Hunk fills in.  


'Dude we know. I don't think my hearing has recovered from you screaming 'it's a girl' down the phone at me,' Lance laughs. There's another knock on the door, and he nearly trips on a box in his hurry to answer it.  


#

 

Thank god for Hunk, Lance thinks as his best friend and the moving guy lift their couch with ease. Shay guides them down the stairwell, carrying a box full of DVDs. Keith is following, carrying a chunk of their bed frame.  


He looks hot like this, in his black trackies and a grey t-shirt with the Garrison logo on the front. His hair has been pulled back into a messy ponytail, and Lance sighs a little. How did he luck out like this?  


'Come on lover boy, we didn't come all the way out here so you could supervise,' Shiro teases, carrying two boxes past him.  


'Just admiring the view.'  


'The faster you move your ass, the quicker you can christen your new house,' Shiro says with a grin, and Lance's face lights up.  


'You were always good at pep talks, Shiro.'  


#  
  


The truck has left, and Keith and Lance stand in the doorway of their apartment. It's completely bare, the only signs that they had been there were the indents in the carpet and the empty hooks on the walls.  


They had spent their first night together here. They had first watched Star Wars together here. They had celebrated birthdays and anniversaries and Christmases here. Pidge had opened her university acceptance letter in front of all of them over there by the window. Hunk had been so excited to announce that Shay was pregnant he'd basically shouted his news at the top of his lungs in this very room.  


Lance and Keith had come back to this crappy little apartment after Lance's very sweet and embarrassing proposal, and their friends had been waiting with drinks and food and congratulations.  


'Is it too late to choose to stay?' Lance sighs, and Keith leans against the doorframe.  


'Most definitely ... Come on, just think about how the next tenants are going to have to worry about Mrs Freeman's cooking stench and we'll be in our house, far away from that crazy old bat.'  


Lance pulls the door shut, and locks it. They walk down the stairs for the last time, hand in hand.    


#  


‘This place is huge,’ Hunk says with a grin, placing a couple of pizza boxes down on the floor. Allura has joined them, sitting on the couch with Shay as she relayed the details of her doctor’s appointment earlier in the day.  


Lance is in the kitchen unwrapping glasses so everyone can have a drink, and Keith joins him since Lance has a bad habit of dropping things when he tries to carry them all at once. Shiro is already halfway through a piece of pizza when they return, and Hunk is sitting on the floor playing on his phone.  


‘Hello?’  


‘Pidge! Is that you?’ Lance cries happily, dumping glasses on the carpet and landing hard on his knees. Pidge grins back at him through the video call.  


‘Hey! Congratulations on the new house!’ she says happily, her face taking up the entire frame.  


‘You want a tour?’ he asks, jumping to his feet.  


‘Lance, don’t forget there’s food here,’ Keith reminds him, but Lance is up and gone. Keith can hear him using his Tour Guide Barbie voice, and he decides to just put some pizza on a plate so that it’s not all gone by the time they’re done catching up.  


#  


Lance shuts the door and turns the lock with a click. It feels final. He zones out a little as he realises that he and Keith are alone. In their new house. With no shared walls with neighbours.  


A hand touches his shoulder, and he relaxes into Keith’s warm touch. Lance sighs in contentment as hands wind around his middle, and Keith presses his forehead into the space between Lance’s shoulders.  


‘Babe?’ Lance says quietly, spinning around to hug Keith tightly. ‘I have a confession.’  


‘Mm?’ Keith hums in response, pressing his face into his husband’s chest.  


‘I’m too tired to christen our house tonight,’ Lance moans, burying his face into Keith’s shoulder. ‘We’re getting so old, Keith.’  


Keith chuckles, and peppers little kisses across Lance’s jaw. ‘So old,’ he mumbles.  


‘What say you to Grease and lazy make outs on the mattress?’ Lance suggests, and Keith squeezes his hand in response. One drags the other to the lounge room. Boxes are stacked high with various pictures drawn on them, the remains of the pizza is still on the floor. Their bed frame is in their room, but the mattress has been left in the lounge so they could watch movies together.  


Keith puts on the DVD while Lance collects their blankets and their pillows. They fall down together, and are asleep before the movie even reaches the menu screen.  


#

Keith swears and growls as he attempts to screw their bed frame together. Lance has left their bedding on a pile on their mattress. He's accepted that they'll be sleeping without the frame for another night, but Keith has other ideas.  


Lance is pottering around the kitchen, putting things away and humming along to the headphones in his ears. He smiles to himself as he unwraps their plates, filling a bag with the crumpled up newspaper. He can hear Keith muttering to himself, and he can't fight the fond grin that lights up his face. He flicks on the kettle as he passes, and takes their pile of tea towels to the linen cupboard.  


Keith greets him with a weary smile, and gratefully accepts a mug of green tea. He looks triumphant though, as he's sitting next to their bed frame, completely intact. They lift the mattress together, and make the bed in silence, fighting yawns.  


They manage to get the kitchen into a state where they can use it, and Lance is brought back to life a little at the idea of cooking their first meal in the new house. It’s nothing flash, just ravioli in a rich tomato sauce. They come to the realisation that they don’t have a dining table as they go to sit down to eat. They eat on the couch in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Keith has his feet on Lance’s lap, and Lance’s feet are on the coffee table.  


‘We’ll go get a dining table tomorrow,’ Keith says quietly, and Lance can’t help but laugh.  


‘I can’t believe we didn’t think of it,’ he grins, and Keith smiles warmly at him.  


‘Well we couldn’t fit one in the apartment, but now we have a whole room just for it so we need to get one,’ he says, pulling his headband from his hair. They leave the dishes on the counter until morning and struggle to get all the way through The Princess Bride. They barely make it, and trudge off to sleep in their own room for the first time.  


Keith is too tired to read tonight, and he runs his hands through his hair while Lance brushes his teeth. They snuggle deep under the covers, and Lance pulls Keith close to him.  


'I love you,’ Lance murmurs, burying his face in Keith's shoulder.  


'I love you too,' Keith replies. They fall asleep in minutes.  


#  


It takes them a week to get their house resembling a house. They briefly argue over how to set up the linen cupboard, and Lance is insistent on having all their DVDs on matching shelves in the lounge room. Keith disagrees, but he knows how to pick his battles with his very persuasive husband.  


'Where did you put the rice cooker?' Lance asks him, attempting to scramble together something for dinner that isn't delivered.  


'It should be in one of the kitchen boxes. I think there's a few in the spare bedroom?' Keith offers, unwrapping their fancy fine china. Why anyone needed two sets of dinnerware was beyond either of them, but it had been a wedding present and they couldn't just throw it away.  


Lance returns from the spare room triumphantly holding up the rice cooker like it's the future king of the Pride Lands, and sets about chopping chicken.  


'Are you working tomorrow?' He asks, and Keith gives a short nod.  


'Yeah, I'll be gone for most of the day, actually,' he sighs, brushing his hair back off his face.  


'That's cool. I'm gonna have lunch with Hunk and Allura.'  


'Ah, so you're coming back full of baby gossip then,' Keith grins, kissing Lance quickly on the cheek as he passes.  


'Probably,' Lance replies with a smile. 'I'm excited for them both.'  


Keith just nods, stacking plates in the cupboard. Lance goes back to humming and dancing around while he cooks. Keith leans against the counter and watches Lance, a gentle flutter in his stomach.  


#  


'We're painting the nursery on the weekend,' Hunk says, his face lit up with excitement. Lance smiles warmly at him, adding sugar to his coffee.  


'Pretty pink?' Lance asks, and Hunk shakes his head.  


'Our entire house is blue, so we found a really nice pale blue. Shay wants to paint the skirting white to sort of frame it?'  


'Well, if you need any help, just give us a call - unless you want to do it on your own,' Lance offers.  


'While it's probably one of those couple-bonding moments that parents want to remember, I don't really want Shay inhaling paint fumes and stressing her out,' Hunk says, resting his chin on his hand.  


They turn to see Allura, beautiful with her long hair and her tiny baby bump.  


'Sorry I'm late, I couldn't find a park anywhere,' she grumbles, flicking her hair from her eyes. She orders a pot of tea, and Hunk updates her on the nursery situation.  


'We haven't even started,' she sighs. 'It's a bit surreal, I think. We have a cot and some other stuff but it hasn't really sunk in yet?'  


'And you know what the gender is?' Lance asks, his grin getting wider. Allura laughs at him.  


'Nice try Lance, I know you couldn't keep a secret if your life depended on it.'  


'Usually, I only tell Hunk, and he's here, so I wouldn't have to tell him,' Lance argues, and he leans back as the waiter places a plate of dips and other entrees in front of them.  


'I'm not telling you,' Allura smirks.  


Hunk gets it out of her, and Lance is as outraged as he can be without causing a scene.  


'You must be sick of all this baby talk, huh?' Hunk asks, and Lance waves a hand in dismissal.  


'Of course not, I'm happy for you guys,' he says, scraping the last of the foam from his cappuccino.  


'Have you considered adoption?' Allura blinks her large blue eyes at him curiously. Lance shrugs.  


'Well, I mean... yeah. We've considered it, and mentioned it a few times, but... I don't know. The conversation ends and that's it for another year, you know?' He sighs, attacking the beetroot dip a little viciously.  


'Yeah, but you want kids, don't you?' Hunk asks, but he knows the answer.  


'Of course I do, but I don't think Keith is all that excited about the idea and I don't want to push him into something if he doesn't want it,' Lance explains. 'I'm content to be the awesome uncle to all of your kids.'  


'I don't think we're having any more,' Allura confesses. 'They weren't really part of our big life plan.'  


'Shay says she doesn't want more, but I think she just doesn't like the idea that she can't see her feet,' Hunk chuckles.  


#  


Lance goes home and spends an hour in the study, googling adoption.  


#  


Saturday rolls around, and Lance’s body is tingling with excitement. Saturdays are special. He whips the covers off of Keith with a triumphant yell, and then dives on top of him.  


‘What time is it?’ Keith mumbles, burying his head in his pillow. His hair is a mess, sticking up all over the place.  


Lance kisses him firmly on the cheek. ‘It’s seven-oh-three,’ he declares, rolling off his husband. ‘I’ve been up for an hour constructing the perfect Saturday morning playlist, and it’s time to start our day!’  


Keith elbows him in the ribs and snatches the blankets back, grumbling. ‘One more hour.’  


‘No!’ Lance declares, sticking his cold feet against Keith’s warm back. The dark haired man lurches forward with a yelp and lands on the floor in a tangled mess of blankets and limbs. Lance offers him an apologetic grin. ‘Well now that you’re up…’  


Keith moans as Lance flounces away, and he can hear the speakers crackle as they’re turned on. Don’t get him wrong, Keith loves their Saturday morning cleaning sessions. It’s been a tradition they had had ever since they moved in together. Lance hadn’t been the cleanest person when Keith met him, but they had come to an agreement. Lance could play whatever music he wanted, as loud as he wanted, for the entire duration of their clean up, on the condition that he actually helped.  


Keith had originally pretended that he hated the loud, trashy pop, but like most couples, their music tastes had slowly combined. Now he couldn’t imagine life without them.  


He hides his grin in his pillow as the familiar beats of the goddamn Venga Boys blast through the house.  


‘Wooooah, woooah,’ Lance is singing from the bedroom door. ‘Come on Keith this is your favourite.  
’

‘It’s definitely not,’ Keith replies, but Lance pulls him from the floor with two hands.  


‘Boom boom boom boom,’ Lance grins, and Keith sighs.

  
He’s in love with an idiot.  


Keith admits to himself that this is one of his favourites, purely because Lance can’t fight the need to dance when he hears it. His heart swells as his husband prances up and down the hallway, shaking and shimmying and doing some strange movements with his feet that Keith knows he couldn’t replicate for a million dollars.  


They move from room to room, from the Venga Boys to Rihanna to Ariana to One Direction. Keith busts out a perfect rendition of ‘Wow’ by Kylie while standing on the couch that has Lance crying with laughter, and by ten thirty the house is gleaming. They leave the music playing and just dance in the living room for a while, energised after a week of unpacking and work and socialising.  


‘Lance you can’t slow dance to Abba,’ Keith protests weakly, pulled flush against his taller husband.  


‘That’s quitter talk,’ Lance replies, twirling them around the coffee table to Mamma Mia. They dip and spin and Lance sings along - he’s got a lovely singing voice and he knows it.  


‘We’ll have to stop soon,’ Lance says. ‘It’s lunchtime and I’m starving.’  


‘Do you wanna call Hunk and see if they wanna meet us at the Lion Cafe?’ Keith suggests, pushing his hair off his face. Lance gives him a little kiss on the nose.  


‘Okay, but one more song… and you have to sing every word,’ he demands.  


‘What if I don’t know it?’  


‘You’d be lying, we’ve had the same playlist for 6 years,’ Lance laughs. ‘Ready?’  


His face splits into a smug grin as the first notes of the song ring through the house.  


‘No,’ Keith says, making a dash for the bedroom. Lance catches him around the middle, and they topple to the ground.  


‘You promised!’  


‘Not Britney, please,’ Keith begs, but Lance has him pinned. Keith can flip him off easily, but he’s honestly more than happy being underneath his very attractive husband.  


‘You’re an idiot,’ Keith continues after a verse and a chorus. He shoves Lance off lightly and stands up.  


‘Yeah but I’m your idiot,’ Lance says with a grin, pointing to his wedding band.  


‘Damn straight,’ Keith tells him, heading towards the bathroom for a cold shower.  


#  


'What time do you get in?' Keith asks, the phone jammed between his ear and his shoulder while he gives the pasta sauce a lazy stir.  


'The train gets in at ten, unless it’s delayed, but I'll text you when it's leaving,' Pidge says on the other end of the line. 'Are you sure it's cool for me to stay with you guys? It's a really late train...'  


'Course. We've got heaps more room, plus I'm pretty sure Hunk's spare room has a cot in it now,' Keith says, adding chilli flakes. Over the phone, Pidge laughs.  


'That's terrifying. Hunk and Shay are having a kid, like an actual human that they need to take care of,' she says with a sigh.  


'They're so excited. It's both adorable and sickening,' he chuckles.  


'I'll bet. Anyway, I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow?'  


'Sure thing Pidgey.'  


'Night Keith.'  


#  


'Okay, there's fresh towels on the dresser, we tried to shove the few unpacked boxes we have left in the wardrobe so maybe just... don't open it,' Lance instructs, opening the heating vent and closing the blinds. Pidge looks like she'll fall asleep on the spot.  


'Thanks Lance, sorry to be such a butt,' she yawns, and he waves his hand dramatically.  


'All good, get some sleep,'  


#  


Lance and Keith forget that Pidge is staying in their spare room.  


'What the hell?' she grumbles, standing in the doorway the following morning. Lance leaps a foot in the air with a shriek, in his grey cleaning trackies with the blue stripe, and a white shirt with Marie from the Aristocats on it. The elegant cursive across the front reads 'because I'm a lady, that's why' and Lance loves it. Lance wants to be buried in this shirt.  


Keith turns the music down slightly, which makes Lance stick out his lip.  


'Sorry Pidge, its cleaning day,' Keith says with a grin. He's wearing his comfy shorts with the dojo logo on the side and the same grey Garrison t-shirt he wore when they moved. His hair has been skirfed back into a ponytail, and secured with a headband.  


'And cleaning day calls for One Direction?' Pidge yawns, shuffling into the kitchen to make herself a coffee. Lance grins cheekily as he leans past Keith, and he turns the volume up to a deafening level.  


'SHE'S NOT AFRAID OF SCARY MOVIES!' he yells, wiggling his hips as he darts away. Keith snorts, and goes back to cleaning out the fridge.  


'SHE LIKES THE WAY WE KISS IN THE DARK!'  


'Just embrace it,' Keith tells Pidge, who just raises her coffee mug in tired salute.  


Lance dances his way through the living room, using the broom as a microphone while Keith works on the kitchen. Pidge is assigned to changing the bed sheets when she complains about feeling useless, and a little Justin Timberlake has her singing along very quietly under her breath.  


'Was that so hard?' Lance asks, bumping her with his hip as the three of them stand in the lounge, admiring the clean house.  


'No, I guess I can see the appeal of loud, trashy pop,' Pidge agrees, and Lance is offended. He deliberately leaves the chilli mayo off her sandwich in retaliation.  


#  


Keith's phone rings while they're having dinner, and he excuses himself to answer it.  


'Hey Shiro, what's up?' He asks, leaving the dining room.  


Pidge and Lance resume their conversation quietly, but when Keith returns with that look on his face, they know something isn't right.  


'Allura's gone to hospital,' Keith tells them once the call has ended. 'Shiro said she was feeling weird pains, and that he'll keep us updated.'  


'God, I hope everything's alright,' Lance murmurs. The dinnertime conversation lulls, and they clean up in silence. Keith's phone rings again while they're all watching the tv, and everyone stops to listen.  


'Shiro? Hey, how is she?' Keith asks.  


' _She's... she's okay. It was a miscarriage, we lost it_ ,' Shiro replies. His voice sounds numb, like he's on autopilot. Keith runs a hand through his hair.  


'Oh, shit. I'm so sorry, Shiro... is there anything we can do?'  


' _Not really, we just won't be at lunch tomorrow, tell Pidge I'm sorry_.'  


'Don't worry about that, just... be with Allura and make sure you're both okay. If you need anything, please call us,' Keith says quietly, sincerely.  


Lance and Pidge stare at him, waiting for him to tell them the news.  


Lance can't help but cry a little that night, and Keith holds him close.  


#  


Lunch the following day is hard.  


Lance and Keith sit opposite each other, with Pidge on one side and Hunk on the other.  


'I just feel so awful for her,' Pidge mutters, warming her hands on her mug.  


'I feel sick,' Hunk manages to get out. 'I can't even imagine...'  


'They'll get through it, we just have to support them, and try to be sensitive about it,' Keith suggests.  


'What if it happens to Shay too?' Hunk asks, and Lance shakes his head.  


'Don't let that get into your head, or you're going to worry until she goes into labour,' he tells him, but Hunk just buries his face in his hands.  


'How can we be around them now? I mean, we're just going to be a constant, horrible reminder,' he moans.  


'They're not like that, Hunk. They're happy for you guys and you know that,' Keith says, patting his friend on the back.  


#  


'Hunk's really scared,' Lance tells Keith as they get ready for bed.  


'I know,' Keith replies quietly, allowing Lance to snuggle in close to him. 'We need to be there for all of them.'  


'They never liked talking about it all with us anyway,' Lance sighs, pressing his body against Keith. Keith is always warm, and it comforts him.  


'Really? Why not?' Keith asks, looking down at him.  


'Because we can't have kids,' Lance says, twining their fingers together. Their simple, white gold bands click together and Lance melts a little at the sight.  


'Oh.'  


Lance closes his eyes and inhales the scent of the room. It's a familiar mixture of the two of them, mostly Keith, however, since he's so desensitised to his own smell. Keith gently runs his fingers through Lance's hair, both of them lost in their own world.  


'Don't worry, Keith,' Lance mumbles, halfway to falling asleep. 'I promised Hunk that we'd be the best uncles ever.'  


Keith absentmindedly strokes Lance's hair while he snores.  


#  


Keith arrives at Shiro and Allura's apartment with coffee, and Shiro looks exhausted when he opens the door. It's been a week since they've learned the news, and Shiro seems grateful for the company.  


'She's gone for a run...' Shiro explains as they take a chair each on the balcony. 'She's been having really bad cramps all week, so I guess the minute she felt like she could get out of here...'  


'How are you holding up?' Keith asks, and Shiro runs his hand through the shock of white hair that falls across his eyes.  


'I mean, I've been better?' He sighs, leaning forward in his chair. 'We didn't want kids, we'd talked about it, and this was an accident, but...'  


Shiro unloads on him, and Keith listens patiently. Shiro manages to crack a smile by the time Allura comes home.  


She's in her leggings and a tshirt, her hair braided messily down her back. She gives Shiro a reassuring smile and a quick peck on the cheek.  


'Hey Keith,' she adds, chucking her phone and headphones on the coffee table.  


'Hey 'Lura, how're you feeling?' Keith asks, and she gives him a little shrug.  


'Getting a little better everyday, I guess,' she replies.  


Shiro fixes them a quick lunch, and they eat and chat and try to move on.  


Keith is able to go home and tell Lance that the two of them are smiling again.  


#  


'Shay's working herself up,' Hunk says, keeping his voice low.  


'I've spoken to Shiro, it'll be fine,' Keith assures him, readjusting the phone. Hunk had called as they were getting ready to go out, and Keith is struggling to dress himself with the phone jammed between his cheek and his ear.  


'Okay...alright, fine. We'll see you there?'  


'Yeah, see you in a bit,' Keith replies, before hanging up and tossing the phone onto the bed.  


Lance struts from the bathroom in nothing but a towel, flexing for himself in the mirror as he passes. Keith snorts, and gives the towel a quick tug as he passes. Lance yelps, and Keith's chuckles can be heard as he heads to the lounge room.  


Lance commands the auxiliary cord for the whole drive to the restaurant, and even though it's nothing new for Keith, the birthday boy is pushing his luck with the music selection.  


'I love you,' Keith begins, turning down a smaller side-street. 'But I swear, if I hear the Spice Girls one more time I'll leave you here.'  


Hunk and Shay are getting out of their car as Keith pulls into a car park just down from them. Lance lets out a happy squeal as Pidge climbs out of the back seat, and he pulls her into a big hug, trying not to crush the box in her hands.  


'Happy Birthday!' they chorus, and Lance dishes out hugs for everyone.  


'Shiro and Allura are on their way, they got caught in traffic,' Keith says, slipping his phone in his pocket. Hunk is carrying a large box that Lance assumes is his cake, and they head in through the doors to the restaurant.  


It's nothing fancy, just a tiny place tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the CBD, but they had celebrated all of their big occasions here since high school. Keith wiggles his way to the front of the group, and gives them the name for the reservation. They are taken to a big round table towards the back, close to a pretty feature wall.  


'Can I get you any drinks to start off with?' the waitress asks, and they're just finishing up their orders when Shiro and Allura join them. They add their drinks to the order, and Allura takes a seat next to Pidge, and Shiro sits next to Shay.  


At first, it's awkward. No one can deny that. Shay fidgets in her seat, feeling guilty. Allura breaks the tension by asking how the baby is.  


'She's enjoying the food, I think. She's kicking a lot,' Shay replies, and she touches her swollen belly with a wince.  


'Is she doing it now?' Allura asks. 'Can I feel?'  


She reaches across Shiro, who touches her back tenderly, and Shay guides her hand to where the kicking can be felt.  


'It's weird,' she laughs.  


Naturally, Lance also wants to feel, and he gets up out of his seat to experience the strange sensation as well. His eyes light up and he grins at Keith, who is just rolling his eyes playfully.  


'Hey Baby Garrett,' Lance says. 'This is your awesome uncle Lance. We're gonna have sleepovers and watch all the Disney movies and monster movies together, okay?'  


'And Step Up,' Allura adds, sipping her wine.  


'And Star Wars,' Pidge contributes.  


When Keith suggests Sharknado and Pirahnaconda, Hunk puts his foot down.  


'That's enough corrupting my daughter,' he protests, and Lance resumes his seat, laughing. The night progresses without a hitch, and the tension doesn't return.  


After they've finished their meal, the waitress returns with a huge cake. Lance can't help but beam as his closest friends, his family, sing the happy birthday song. Under the table, he feels Keith wind their fingers together, and he feels his heart swell.  


He blows out the candles, and cuts everyone a healthy sized slice of rich chocolate mud cake. When Pidge isn't looking, he steals her strawberry, and since it's his birthday she can't yell at him for it.  


Shiro and Allura give him a gift voucher for the gold class cinema in the city, tucked inside a card that sings a horrible, squeaky rendition of the happy birthday song. Pidge gives him a couple of games for the PlayStation, on the condition that she can come over and kick his ass anytime. Hunk and Shay give him a giant photo frame that he knows will look fantastic in his hallway, full of photos of them all. He laughs at the ones of himself, Hunk and Pidge during high school, and smiles fondly at the photos from various weddings, including his own.  


'There is one more thing,' Shay says, exchanging a look with Hunk. 'It's not exactly a birthday present, but we thought that we'd ask you while everyone is here.'  


'You're having twins and you're calling the other one Lance?' the birthday boy says with a cheeky grin and a wink. Hunk snorts.  


'Not quite, but we were wondering if you'd like to be her godparent?' he asks.  


Lance will swear black and blue that he didn't cry, but he's also a liar.  


#  


They're back home, curled up on the couch together while they watch some documentary on whales.  


'It's just not the same if it's not Attenborough,' Lance mumbles, his face buried in Keith's chest.  


'You're not even watching it,' Keith replies, running his fingers through his husband's hair.  


'M'too,' Lance protests.  


'Yeah? What kind of whale is that?'  


'Humpback.'  


'Nice try, but it's a seal,' Keith snorts. Lance turns his head to squint at the television.  


'So it is,' he sighs.  


Keith gives him two pats, their unspoken signal for "get up". 'Come on babe, you need to go to bed.'  


Keith turns off the tv, locks the front door and guides an exhausted Lance to bed. He's the big spoon tonight, and he kisses Lance gently on the shoulder as he pulls him close. The taller one gives a happy little hum of content, and they're both asleep in mere minutes.  


#  


Keith boils the kettle while Lance is in the shower. He doesn't have to be at work until three, but Lance starts at nine, hence the early morning dash.  


He stands in the kitchen like some sort of zombie, leaning against the counter. His hair is a mess, his shirt is hanging off one shoulder, and half of it is tucked into his pj pants. The Lion King ones that Lance bought him for their first anniversary (something about his hair making him look like Scar? Keith really had no idea).  


He pours himself and Lance a cup of tea each, in their special mugs, and holds it out to his husband when he breezes into the kitchen in search of breakfast. He sticks a few slices of bread into the toaster, pulls out the peanut butter and gives Keith a sweet good morning kiss as he accepts the mug.  


'Don't forget you have to update the website today,' Lance says, quickly buttering his toast. 'We need to get the calendar put up, I'm dying without it,' he adds dramatically.  


'I will do both of these things before I leave this afternoon, okay?' Keith promises.  


Lance downs his tea so quickly, he must have burned off every taste receptor on his tongue, but he acts like he doesn't mind. With a piece of toast in one hand, he kisses Keith goodbye, swipes his keys from the shell shaped bowl near the front door, and then the house is quiet.  


Keith puts on one of their playlists to fill the silence, and he makes a start to his day.  


He showers quickly, and spends the next hour in just his towel, air drying. Then he goes back and wipes up all the little droplets from his hair, because Lance will somehow find them hours later and slip on them. As hilarious as it would be, he doesn't want anyone getting hurt.  


He dresses comfortably, and scuttles around the house in bare feet as he nails a tiny hook into the kitchen wall for the calendar.  


When he finally sits at the computer - they have a communal desktop in the study at the end of the hallway - he realises that Lance has forgotten to shut the thing down. Grumbling, he taps in the password and frowns slightly as a previously open page springs up.  


He scans the words quickly, fumbling in his pocket for his phone. He presses the name shortcut, and the phone immediately starts ringing.  


' _Hey Keith_ ,' Shiro answers.  


'Lance is looking at adoption,' Keith blurts out, running a hand through his hair. On the other end, Shiro chuckles.  


' _Keith, Lance has been looking at adoption for years_ ,' he replies. ' _He loves kids. Haven't you had this conversation?_ '  


'Well yeah, we've talked about it...briefly. But we've never sat down and decided that it was something we were definitely going ahead with,' Keith sighs, leaning back on his chair.  


' _Well hey, he's probably just feeling a bit clucky, what with Shay and Hunk, and Allura as well-_ '  


'Oh shit, sorry Shiro,' Keith moans, guilt settling in his stomach. 'This is probably the last conversation you want to have right now.'  


'Keith, you can call me at any time to talk about anything,' Shiro says firmly. 'Now listen to me. A kid isn't like a puppy, Lance isn't just going to come home with one and say "hey look what I got", okay? The adoption process is long, and it’s difficult, and it's something that he's going to want to do with you.'  


'I know, I just... he hasn't mentioned anything...'  


' _He probably thinks you're not ready for it. Heck, he might not be ready for it either. But he's always wanted a family like his, we all know that_.'  


Keith knows that Shiro is right. He's always known Lance's position regarding children. However, he's only just realised that they're at the age where couples start doing the baby thing. Of course, with no real biological clock to keep count of, it had snuck up on him.  


And now he's sitting in his study, at twenty seven years old, freaking out to his brother over the phone over the idea of having actual children.  


' _Still breathing_?' Shiro asks, amused.  


'Barely,' he replies. 'Am I overreacting?'  


' _Maybe a little. Have you considered actually having an adult conversation with your husband about this?_ ' Shiro suggests, and Keith nods in agreement, even though Shiro can't see him.  


'Yeah... I'll talk to him about it tonight,' he promises.

  
Shiro wishes him good luck, and Keith isn't sure that's a good sign.  


#  


Lance distracts him from any sort of grown up conversation with a heavy make out session on the couch, interrupted only when My Kitchen Rules starts.  
  
  
God forbid anything interrupt the stupid cooking show, Keith thinks as he tries to fix his hair.  


They don't have any sort of child-related conversation that night.  


Lance does, however, applaud him for putting up the calendar they both rely on so much.

  
#  


The pair are woken in the middle of the night to a phone ringing. Lance grumbles and snuggles closer to Keith, already halfway back asleep. Keith, ever the light sleeper, reaches over his husband for the phone.  


'Hunk?' he asks sleepily, muffling a yawn.  


'Keith? Hey, look, I'm not supposed to be telling people but Shay and I are in the hospital,' Hunk's voice is shaking a little, and Keith can't tell if it's nerves or excitement or a healthy mix of the two.  


He sits upright, rubbing his eyes. The movement jolts Lance back to consciousness, and he rolls onto his stomach and stares up at Keith.  


'Is everything okay?' Keith asks, dread settling in his stomach. Lance hears the tone in his voice, and sits up to flick on the lamp on the bedside table. Keith puts the phone on loudspeaker.  


'Hunk? Buddy, what's happening?'  


'Shay's gone into labour, she told me not to tell you but I'm freaking out you guys,' Hunk moans. Lance leaps to his knees on the bed and makes a grab for the phone.  


'Oh my god this is it, we're coming buddy!' Lance declares at a volume their neighbours probably won't appreciate. Keith is also out of the bed in a heartbeat, spurred on by Lance's enthusiasm. He pulls on an old pair of jeans and a shirt, while Lance rifles through his drawers looking for his specially planned meet baby Hunk outfit.  


'Why can't you just grab something and put it on? We'd be out of here much quicker,' Keith teases with a yawn, tucking a jacket under his arm.  


'You never get a second chance at a first impression, Keith,' Lance chides him.  


'She's literally a newborn. She will have no memory of this night,' the shorter one sighs.  


'Are you kidding? As if Hunk doesn't have a camera ready to record the whole thing.'  


#  


'What do you mean you don't have a camera?' Lance asks, outraged.  


Hunk is pacing a hole in the floor, not in scrubs yet but he has that expression on his face that means he's already thrown up at least once.  


'Shay wouldn't have any of it,' he replies, waving a hand. 'And right now, what Shay wants, Shay gets.'  


Keith and Lance sit in the waiting room for hours. They update Shiro and Pidge on the situation as it unfolds. Lance plays Pokemon Go until his phone dies. Keith laughs because soon after he catches a Growlithe, and Lance has a minor tantrum as a response.  


Hunk comes out looking pale, and his hands are shaking. Lance and Keith are on their feet in a heartbeat.  


‘I think it’s happening,’ he says, his voice cracking. ‘What if I pass out and I miss everything? Shay will kill me, my daughter will forever be shamed because her dad scared himself unconscious when she was born, this is not how I want to start parenthood guys.’  


Lance takes Hunk’s face in his hands and squishes his cheeks.  


‘Pull it together buddy, you gotta go back in there and help Shay. And then you’re gonna come back out here and get me so I can meet my niece, got it?’ he says, and Hunk nods. Lance pats him on the shoulder a few times, and Keith gives him a thumbs up.  


Once Hunk is gone, they sit side by side, holding hands as they watch Keith smash Lance’s high score on the stupid ball jump game.  


#  


Lance is outraged to find that Shiro and Allura have bet them to the hospital. Shay is sitting up in the bed, looking tired but happy. Hunk is sitting by her side, watching with proud eyes as Shiro cuddles the bundle that Lance has been dying to see all morning.  


‘Okay, my turn,’ he announces the minute he’s in the room, but Shiro shoots him a scowl that would make any man back away.  


‘No, my turn,’ he says. It’s odd to see Shiro with a baby - had everything turned out the way it was planned, he would be cuddling his own child. Keith leans across the bed to kiss Shay on the cheek and give her a little gift bag.  


‘Oh you didn’t have to,’ she says happily, and Keith shrugs.  


‘Lance has no impulse control. He saw it and had to get it,’ he explains.  


Shay holds up the space-themed onesie with a giggle. ‘Future astronaut?’  


‘You never know!’ Lance counters, pointing at her with a wink. ‘Can I please hold her now?’  


‘Oh fine, but you have to give her to Allura after five minutes,’ Shiro says, and Lance grins.  


‘Done!’  


Shiro carefully passes the baby over to Lance - she’s adorable, as far as babies go. She has a tuft of dark hair on her head, and her little fist has closed around her swaddling blanket.  


‘Hey little Kelsey,’ Lance croons, walking away from Shiro as if he might steal her back. ‘It’s your favourite uncle Lance.’  


Shiro snorts and Keith rolls his eyes. Allura is sitting in the chair beside Hunk, an amused expression on her face.  


‘I don’t think you’re getting her back,’ she says, and Hunk grins at her.  


‘I’m definitely getting her back,’ he says, threading his fingers through Shay’s.  


‘Lance can have her in a few weeks when we’re exhausted and need sleep,’ Shay suggests.  


Lance perks up at that idea, and starts telling baby Kelsey about all the Disney movies they’ll watch together.  


They stay for an hour or so, and Pidge joins them at some point. She’s hesitant to hold the baby, but after a little reassuring from Shay, she concedes.  


‘For someone so tiny, she’s really heavy,’ Pidge says, handing her back to Hunk.  


They decide as a group to leave Hunk and Shay to themselves, and Lance suggests lunch at the Lion Cafe. They all babble excitedly about the new addition to their little family as they walk.  


#  


Hunk gives Kelsey to Lance with a yawn. She’s bigger already, with her eyes open, dressed in the space onesie that they had bought her when she was born.  


‘Here, have a cuddle, I’m gonna change my shirt,’ he says, pointing out something that may be a milk or puke stain.  


Lance immediately takes up a half bounce, half rocking motion with his whole body, and Keith watches him with a raised eyebrow.  


Lance looks...good. He knows what he’s doing - it’s natural to him. Keith has never been the type to fawn over children, but seeing Lance, his person, his soulmate, with one is affecting him more than he’d like to admit.  


‘What are you staring at?’ Lance asks with a cheeky smile - the bastard knows exactly what Keith is thinking and now he’s been outed. Dangit.  


‘There’s an idiot in my field of vision and I can’t work out how to get rid of it,’ Keith retorts quickly, no malice in his voice. Lance rolls his eyes and resumes his rocking.  


Keith makes a hasty exit from the lounge and runs straight into Hunk. Before either can say anything, Keith drags Hunk back down the hallway by his sleeve, away from Lance and Kelsey.  


‘Keith, buddy, what’s-’  


‘I want one,’ Keith blurts out. ‘What have you done to me?’  


‘Man, I’m running on like four hours sleep, you need to be more specific…’ Hunk says, scratching his chin.  


‘Oh god, this is terrifying,’ Keith continues. ‘This wasn’t part of the plan, I don’t know what I’m doing.’  


Hunk lets Keith rant for a while, eventually getting the gist of what he’s saying.  


‘Keith, calm down,’ he says, putting his hands on Keith’s bony shoulders. ‘If this is something you really want, then talk to Lance and get the ball rolling.’  


‘I can’t talk to Lance!’ Keith hisses. ‘He’ll… he’ll laugh at me.’  


‘That is a load of crap, and you know it. Lance has been waiting for you to have this epiphany for years,’ Hunk sighs. ‘Plus, you’ve been together for like six or seven years, surely you can have an adult conversation about stuff without getting embarrassed like some teenager?’  


‘Hunk, I still get tingly when I realise that I’m married to that dork,’ Keith replies in a complete deadpan. ‘This isn’t something I’m good at.’  


‘And no one understands that better than Lance. Just talk to him. If you’re still unsure you can have Kelsey for like… a week… or three… I’m so tired… you want a coffee?’  


‘I’ll make it,’ Keith offers. Hunk gives him a grateful smile, and they head back into the lounge, where Lance and Shay are chatting happily.  


‘That suits you,’ Shay says, gesturing to the sleepy child nestled in his arms.  


‘I have so many siblings, it’s basically second nature,’ he replies.  


Keith excuses himself to make tea and coffee, and has to calm himself down in the corner of the kitchen.  


#  


Keith is tucked up against Lance’s chest, listening to his husband’s gentle snoring. He can’t sleep because every time he closes his eyes he can see Lance with children and babies and it’s scaring him a little. He takes a deep breath and rolls over so his back is pressed to Lance’s front. He makes the decision to not panic about something so trivial, and to call Shiro in the morning while Lance is at work.  


#  


‘Keith?’  


‘Hey!’ Keith says a little too cheerily, standing in Shiro’s doorway.  


‘It’s… nine in the morning, are you okay?’ Shiro asks, stepping back to let him in.  


‘Yeah, yeah I’m fine,’ Keith replies, sitting himself down on Shiro’s couch. ‘Is Allura here?’  


‘Uh, no, she’s working today. Did you want to talk to her?’  


‘No, I wanted to talk to you but now that I’m here I’m second guessing myself,’ Keith sighs, leaning back on the couch.  


Shiro plops onto the seat beside him and waits patiently for him to start talking.  


‘Have you seen baby Kelsey recently? We went over yesterday for a visit, she’s getting really big,’ Keith continues.  


‘Ah, you want one,’ Shiro says simply.  


‘How did you get that out of what I said?’ Keith cries, turning to face Shiro. ‘I didn’t say anything about wanting kids, you’re just a… freak mind reader person I didn’t say that.’  


‘You don’t have to, it’s written all over your face,’ Shiro says calmly, getting up to flick the kettle on. ‘So what exactly is the problem?’  


‘There is no problem. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’  


‘Keith…’  


‘I don’t know,’ Keith moans, gripping his hair in frustration. ‘I’ve been married for six years I should be able to go to my husband and tell him I want kids with him but something keeps stopping me and I know that it’s never going to happen if I don’t talk to Lance about it.’  


‘Do you want a cup of tea?’  


‘It’s probably because I grew up in the foster system I’ve never had stable parents Shiro I have no role model I can’t parent,’ Keith says, jumping to his feet.  


Shiro hands him a mug of tea anyway, and Keith sips at it even though it’s boiling.  


‘I mean I know I’ve got Lance but I’m honestly terrified like how do I raise a kid? They’re actual real humans that are going to grow up and have some sort of impact on society and I don’t think I can handle the pressure,’ Keith moans, running his hand through his hair and nearly spilling his tea.  


Shiro sits back and lets Keith rant for a bit to get it out of his system. Keith is grateful for this, and he does feel better after voicing his problems out loud.  


‘Keith, you know you can talk to Lance about these worries?’ Shiro suggests.  


‘I know I can, I just don’t want him to get excited and tell everyone and then it’s happening and I can’t stop it,’ Keith replies.  


‘Lance isn’t like that and you know it. You’re just making excuses,’ Shiro tells him with a warm smile. Keith sighs and leans back into the couch.  


‘Fine, I’ll talk to Lance tonight.’  


#  


‘Can I keep her?’ Lance cooes, bouncing himself from side to side with baby Kelsey in his arms.  


‘Yep,’ Hunk replies with a yawn. ‘Actually no, Shay and I worked really hard to make her so I don’t think we should be giving up on her just yet.’  


‘Worked real hard my ass,’ Lance snorts as Kelsey holds his fingertip in her tiny fist.  


‘Just you wait. When you get one, you’ll suffer like I am,’ Hunk warns him.  


‘Yeah, about that,’ Lance begins. ‘I want one. Really bad. And I don’t know how to talk to Keith about it.’  


Hunk rolls his eyes so far back into his head he looks possessed.  


‘What?’  


‘Lance, have you considered that maybe Keith is somewhere having this exact same problem?’  


‘Please, Keith has always been weird about the kids thing,’ Lance replies, handing Kelsey back to her father.  


‘And do you maybe think that he knows that, and that’s why he’s freaking out?’ Hunk asks.  


Lance feels like Hunk is trying to tell him something.  


Yes, he’s definitely trying to tell him something - he’s using that face.  


‘... you want me to talk to Keith tonight?’  


‘For the love of all that is holy, yes, please talk to Keith about it,’ Hunk sighs.  


‘And what if I don’t?’  


‘I will straight up murder you, I’m running on hope and coffee and I can’t deal with you two dancing around each other for much longer.’  


#  


Lance hands Keith a plate and helps himself to a slice of pizza from the box on the table.  


‘Do we have to watch MKR?’ Keith asks, and Lance puts his hand over his heart, outraged.  


‘Of course,’ he replies. ‘I need to find out if Josh bombs again.’  


‘Do we want him to bomb?’  


‘Yeah, he’s a dick.’  


Keith tries to ignore the irony of Lance criticising the competitors on the show for their cooking while they munched on terrible, greasy pizza. He thinks back to his conversation with Shiro earlier that day.  


‘How’re Hunk and Shay doing?’ he asks lightly.  


‘They’re good. Tired, but you know, that’s to be expected. Oh my god, they’re killing this fish, Keith.’  


‘I, uh. Did you try to steal Kelsey again?’  


‘I have never once-’  


‘Lance.’  


‘I have only ever done that once,’ Lance amends with a grin. ‘It’s not my fault she’s so cute and small.’  


‘Yeah.’ Just bring it up casually. It’s just Lance. Just ask him. ‘Hey Lance?’  


‘Mm?’  


‘Do you… want a cup of tea?’ he asks lamely.  


‘Uh, yeah, that’d be great, thanks babe,’ Lance smiles warmly and leans forward to kiss him lightly on the nose. Keith forces a smile back, inwardly cursing himself.  


He busies himself making cups of tea, and grabs the biscuit jar as an added afterthought.  


‘Oh, I love you, how did you know?’ Lance croons, shoving his hand in the jar.  


‘We’ve been together for six years, Lance, and you always have a biscuit or twelve with your tea,’ Keith snorts, flopping onto the couch beside him.  


He comes to the realisation that he’s way too chicken shit to ask Lance about it tonight.  


#

  
‘Last box!’ Lance declares, dropping it on the coffee table. ‘Officially moved in!’  


‘We’ve been here for like, six months,’ Keith grins, pushing his hair back off his face.  


‘Psh, you’re not fully moved in until all your stuff is unpacked, they’re the rules.’  


The last box, it turns out, contains a bunch of old photo albums. Instead of finding a home for them, the two sit on the couch and flick through the pages.  


‘Look at Pidge’s hair, oh god,’ Lance laughs.  


‘We should get a big frame and get some of these on the walls,’ Keith suggests.  


They find a place for the albums on a bookshelf by the open fire, and head back into the room they’ve just cleared. It’s bare now that they’ve gotten rid of all the boxes.  


‘What’re we gonna do with all this space?’ Keith asks, running a fingertip across the windowsill.  


Lance feels his heartbeat speed up. He knows exactly what he wants to do with this space. He wants to paint it and fill it with all sorts of expensive baby necessities. But that involves having The Talk with Keith and he’s not sure if his husband is ready for it. Hell, he doesn't know if he's ready for it.  


‘Well,’ Lance begins, and Keith turns to face him. He looks so cute like this; in his baggy cleaning trackies and a t-shirt with an alien on the front, hair pulled back into a ponytail. Damn, Lance loves that ponytail. And, you know, the man attached to it. ‘We can always just… get another bed for when people stay.’  


Keith seems to deflate a little, but he nods in agreement anyway. ‘We could. Or we could just leave it until we have a definite idea of what we want to use it for?’  


His voice is hopeful, but Lance isn’t sure why. What does he want? Surely if Keith wanted something, he would tell him?  


‘Sounds good. Lunch?’  


‘You read my mind,’ Keith sighs, following him out of the room.  


#  


‘Are you sure you’ll be okay?’ Hunk asks, reluctant to hand his daughter over.  


‘Hunk, come on, we’ll be fine,’ Lance reassures him. ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’  


Hunk’s eyes widen, and he holds Kelsey close. ‘Shay we don’t have to go tonight.’  


‘Yes we do, she’ll be fine,’ Shay tells him. ‘Lance or Keith will call us if something happens, okay?’  


Lance makes grabby hands, and Hunk finally hands him the sleeping infant.  


‘Okay guys have fun byyyeeeeee,’ he sing songs, dragging out the bye as he shuts the door on them. He can hear Shay laughing as they head back down the driveway. ‘How’re you going with it, Keith?’  


‘Yeah, all good,’ Keith says, popping his head out of the room they cleared earlier. ‘You can probably put her down.’  


‘Or I could not do that, and we could watch The Little Mermaid.’  


‘Lance, she’s asleep.’  


‘Keith, let me corrupt her while her parents are gone,’ Lance moans, expertly juggling the child while picking a movie from the shelf. Keith watches, impressed that Lance can maneuver so efficiently with the sleeping baby in one arm.  


‘You just want to watch Disney movies,’ Keith accuses, and Lance shrugs in reply. Keith rolls his eyes and goes back to the empty room, where he’s been fighting to put up the portable cot. He manages to get it up without any fuss, then takes a moment for himself.  


The cot is the only item in the room now, besides Kelsey’s overnight bag. Keith sighs and runs his hands through his hair. He needs to talk to Lance about this.  


‘Keith?’  


‘Hm?’ Keith looks up to see Lance in the doorway, looking worried.  


‘I was calling you, are you alright?’  


‘Yeah I’m fine, sorry. Just a bit zoned out.’  


‘You got the cot up though?’ Lance asks, winding his arms around Keith’s middle. The two of them stand there together, quietly looking at the cot and lost in their own thoughts.  


‘Where’s Kelsey?’ Keith asks suddenly, breaking the silence.  


‘Oh, she’s laying on the mat in the lounge room, she’s fine for the moment,’ Lance says with a wave of his hand.  


‘Are you sure?’  


Lance smiles warmly and kisses Keith’s shoulder. ‘You can go check on her if you want, Mr Paranoid.’  


He follows Keith at a light mosey, amused by his husband’s nervousness around the infant. Keith picks her up in a quick motion and settles himself on the couch.  


‘So you just wanna watch Disney movies too, hm?’ Lance teases.  


‘Yep. So shut up and watch with me,’ Keith smiles.  


The two of them squish together on the couch with Kelsey tucked safely in Keith’s arms.  


The child sleeps through the whole film, and Keith dozes off somewhere around the Poor Unfortunate Souls number, which is Lance’s favourite part. He sends a selfie of himself and the other two sleeping to Hunk.  


**[ HUNKY HUNK: Have you talked to him yet? ]**

**[ Lance: I will ]**

**[ HUNKY HUNK: Suck it up buddy ]  
  
**

Lance sighs and snuggles down beside Keith. He smells good – warm. Like home and love and security.  


‘Keith?’ he whispers, and Keith makes a quiet noise of acknowledgement. ‘You know I love you, right?’  


‘Mhmm,’ Keith hums. Lance can’t tell if he’s asleep or not, but the possibility that he is gives Lance courage.  


‘Let’s have a baby together,’ he whispers, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. He knows it sounds cheesy.  


Keith’s eyelids flutter slightly, and he breathes in deeply through his nose.  


‘Okay.’  


#  


Lance is woken by Kelsey’s cries, and he looks up to see Keith gently rocking back and forth.  


‘How long was I asleep?’ he yawns, and Keith turns to face him, still bouncing.  


‘Only an hour or so – I tried to put her down but she cracked it whenever she went in the cot,’ Keith sighs.  


Lance stands and offers to take her, but Keith shakes his head. He’s got it.  


Lance smiles warmly at him, and heads to the kitchen where he flicks the kettle on.  


He leans against the counter and takes a moment to himself.  


He had technically brought the topic up with Keith, but he’d been asleep. Hunk wasn’t going to buy it.  


‘Psst.’  


He looks up to see Keith in the doorway. ‘Is she asleep?’ he whispers.  


Kelsey’s little face is smushed against his shoulder, and the sight makes Lance’s knees go weak.  


‘Yeah, she is,’ he whispers back. Keith nods in thanks, and half walks half bounces his way to the spare room.  


Lance groans and leans his head on the overhead cupboard.  


He stays there until Keith comes back and hugs him around the middle.  


‘You okay?’  


‘Yeah,’ Lance says, spinning around and resting his arms on Keith’s shoulders. ‘Just tired. I might head to bed.’  


‘I’ll join you. How long do you think she’ll sleep?’  


‘Shay said she’d slept through a few nights, but other nights she’s up every three hours or so.’  


Keith takes Lance by the hand and leads him to the bedroom where they both fall into bed. Keith rolls so that he’s facing Lance, and he pulls his husband closer by the hip. Lance peppers lazy kisses on Keith’s cheeks and nose and lips.  


‘Hey… were you serious earlier?’ Keith asks, and he feels Lance’s body tense.  


‘About what?’  


‘You know… the baby thing,’ Keith says, feeling his neck heat up. ‘I mean I know it’s something that you’ve wanted for a long time.’  


‘It is,’ Lance whispers. ‘But I don’t want to push you into anything that you don’t want.’  


‘What if…’ Keith bites his lip for a moment. ‘What if I did want it?’  


Lance sits up, propping his head on his hand. Even in the dark, Keith can sense his excitement. ‘Are you serious?’  


‘I think so? God I don’t know,’ Keith moans, falling back into his pillows. ‘The idea is terrifying, and I honestly have no idea if I’m cut out to be a parent, but I have you, and we can do anything together, right?’  


Lance launches himself at Keith, kissing him fiercely. ‘We can do this,’ he says.  


‘I’m so scared,’ Keith mutters into Lance’s neck, and his husband holds him tight.  


‘Yeah, me too,’ Lance confesses. ‘But it’s going to take a while, so we’ve got plenty of time to get used to the idea.’  


Keith kisses him sweetly. ‘Yeah, that’s true.’  


‘We should get some sleep,’ Lance says, kissing Keith back with no intention of stopping.  


‘We should…’ Keith agrees, also with no intention of stopping.  


#  


They wake up with a jolt, a tangle of limbs and with a fair number of hickeys dotting their necks and shoulders.  


The monitor on the bedside table lights up with every one of Kelsey’s pitiful cries.  


Keith moans and buries his face in the pillow. ‘Can I change my mind about the baby thing?’  


‘No,’ Lance says, kissing him on the temple and getting out of bed to feed the crying child.  


‘I’ll do the next one,’ Keith promises, and Lance knows that he means it.  


#  


‘Do I look okay?’ Lance asks, fixing his hair in the mirror. Keith clicks his tongue.  


‘You look fine, but we’re gonna be late if you don’t get your ass in gear,’ he growls, holding the door open for him.  


They climb into the car, and Keith can feel his hands shaking before he steadies them on the steering wheel. He backs the car out and they’re off.  


Lance receives messages from everyone – Hunk and Shay, Allura, Shiro, Pidge, his mother. Everyone.  


Even the cute girl, Nyma, who works at the school with him sends him a good luck message.  


The building is imposing, with shiny polished floors that echo when women in heels stalk through the lobby.  


They’re directed to the third floor, offered tea and coffee, and left in a comfortable waiting room.  


‘Keith and Lance?’  


The woman who calls their name is tall and thin with dark hair and a wide smile.  


‘I’m Jess, it’s nice to finally meet you,’ she continues, inviting them into her office.  


‘Thank you, you too,’ Lance says amiably, and Keith just nods in agreement.  


‘So,’ she begins, shutting the door behind them. ‘You guys are looking at adopting?’  


Keith wraps his hand around Lance’s under the table.  


‘Uh, yes, we’ve decided that it’s the right step for us to take,’ he says, and Lance squeezes his hand reassuringly.  


‘I’m very happy to hear that,’ Jess says in her high-pitched customer service voice. ‘Depending on what you’re looking for, this will affect how long the process takes. Now, I’ll just get a few details about you two and we’ll get this ball rolling?’  


#  


‘It’s not like him to be this late,’ Allura mutters, checking her phone.  


‘He probably got distracted by something shiny,’ Pidge grins, juggling Kelsey on her hip. The baby is trying with all her might to steal her glasses, but Pidge has learned by now how to avoid it.  


‘Is that him?’ Hunk asks, standing up.  


‘HUNK! ALLURA!’  


‘Yeah, that’s him,’ Pidge snorts.  


Lance crosses the road quickly, holding his phone up like the Olympic torch. Keith is behind him, apologizing to cars on his behalf.  


‘Do you think there’s been progress?’ Allura asks with a knowing smirk.  


‘GUYS!’ Lance cries, jumping over the barrier with the ease of a much younger man. ‘They found someone they think would suit us!’  


Keith sits down beside Lance, fidgeting with excitement.  


Lance holds out his phone with the email, and shows them the photo. ‘This is Charlie.’  


Hunk and Allura aww in unison, taking the phone for a better look.  


‘That’s amazing you guys,’ Pidge says, handing Kelsey back to Hunk so she could sip at her coffee.  


‘We’re going to meet him next week to see if he fits,’ Keith adds, resting his elbows on the table.  


‘Of course he’ll fit, look at him,’ Lance says, waving a hand. ‘He’s one and a half, so he’s only a month or two older than Kelsey, and if we get him and it all goes smoothly, it should all be official by the time he turns two!’  


Allura leans over to kiss Lance on the cheek. ‘I’m so happy for you two. You’re going to make great parents.’  


‘That remains to be seen,’ Keith says in a deadpan, and Pidge elbows him in the ribs.  


‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll be fine,’ Pidge sighs. ‘If you get sick of them you can just give them to me and I’ll corrupt them on your behalf.’  


‘You will not get your gremlin hands on our son,’ Lance says, offended.  


Keith feels a tingle in his stomach – _our son_ .  


#  


‘Do you think there’s enough streamers?’ Hunk asks, standing back to admire their handiwork.  


‘No,’ Lance declares at the same time Shay says ‘God, yes.’  


‘I mean, she’s only one…’ Hunk reasons, climbing down from the stepladder.  


‘It’s her first birthday, Hunk! You have to go all out!’ Lance cries.  


‘Lance, you will be cleaning all this crap up,’ Shay threatens, handing Kelsey off to Keith so she could get herself dressed before guests started arriving.  


‘Deal!’ Lance declares, and Hunk hands him the coloured streamers with a defeated grimace.  


‘Kelsey and I are going to check out the jumping castle, aren’t we pretty girl?’ Keith cooes.  


‘Da da da,’ Kelsey babbles back, waving her chubby hand at her father.  


‘Not da da da,’ Keith replies, going out to the backyard. ‘Keith Keith Keith.’  


‘Fuck, he’s so cute,’ Lance says to Hunk, who just rolls his eyes and leaves him alone in the lounge room.  


#  


‘Hey Lance?’ Keith calls from the kitchen.  


‘Yeah babe?’  


‘Do you want chocolate?’  


‘Uh… yeah that’d be-‘  


‘We don’t have any chocolate.’  


Lance throws him the bird over the back of the couch.  


#  


Keith wakes up alone, as usual on Saturday mornings. He can hear Lance talking with someone out in their living room, and checks the clock on his bedside table. 9:39am.  


Frowning he gets up and pulls on a shirt.  


Lance is sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in his hands, and Jess, the woman from the adoption agency is on his other couch.  


‘Morning,’ she says with a cheerful wave, and Keith freezes on the spot.  


‘I’m so sorry,’ he says quickly. ‘I didn’t realise you were coming over, I’ll just go get dressed.’  


‘It’s okay, I was just dropping this off on my way through,’ Jess smiles, patting a thick folder on the coffee table. ‘They’re just your forms to finalise the placement with Charlie. I’ll be back for a house inspection the day before he’s due to be dropped off with you just to go over everything.’  


Keith nods, and excuses himself to replace his ratty old pajama pants with jeans and a nicer shirt that didn’t have Elmo on it.  


Jess is just leaving when he comes back out, and he feels the panic rising as soon as the door shuts.  


‘Did I just ruin it?’ he asks, and Lance pulls him close.  


‘No, of course not, I wasn’t expecting her either,’ he explains. ‘She doesn’t care that on a Saturday morning you have a sleep in.’  


They stay like that, holding each other in the doorway for a few minutes.  


‘Wanna clean the house?’ Keith mumbles into Lance’s chest.  


‘Yeah… let’s fire up the music,’ Lance agreed.  


After a decent helping of the Spice Girls, Owl City and Lady Gaga, the two are feeling back to normal.  


#  


‘Keith…’ Lance whispers. His husband rolls over to face him.  


‘Can’t sleep?’ Keith asks, just as quiet.  


‘Nope,’ Lance confesses. ‘I’m nervous.’  


‘It’s a bit late to change your mind,’ Keith gives a breathy laugh. Lance leans in to kiss him gently.  


‘I’m not changing my mind. I just feel like everything’s about to change,’ he says.  


Keith runs his fingers through Lance’s hair, and rolls over so that the taller can spoon him. Lance pulls him close and kisses his shoulder.  


‘Things are gonna change,’ Keith whispered, pressing himself closer to Lance. ‘But it’s going to be an adventure.’  


‘I love you, Keith,’ Lance mumbles.  


‘I know,’ Keith replies, and he feels Lance’s smile against the bare skin of his back.  


#  


Lance has wiped every surface of the house at least twice, and Keith has changed his shirt three times. The barrier has been secured across the fireplace, and the playpen has been set up and is filled with toys.  


‘Will you keep still?’ Lance hisses, and Keith turns towards him, outraged.  


‘Good morning pot, I’m kettle,’ he says, gesturing to Lance’s bouncing knee right beside him.  


‘What time did she say they were coming?’  


‘Ten thirty,’ Keith replies, getting to his feet again and bustling around the kitchen.  


‘Are you making coffee?’  


‘Tea. You don’t need a coffee buzz,’ Keith replies. ‘You’re jittery enough as it is.’  


‘Uh, pot? Kettle?’ Lance calls back, also standing.  


Someone knocks on the door.  


Keith freezes in the process of putting sugar into Lance’s mug. Lance stares at him with wide eyes.  


It isn’t until there’s another knock that they kick into gear, and Lance vaults the couch and clears the steps to get the to door. Keith stays back, hovering around the entrance to the kitchen.  


‘Hello!’ Lance says cheerfully, opening up the door.  


‘Good morning Lance!’ comes Jess’ voice. She takes her heels off at the door and Keith feels a slight relief in his chest.  


Less formal if she’s barefoot, right?  


Also she wouldn’t scratch the floorboards.  


‘This is Charlie, he’s very excited to meet you,’ Jess says, and Keith sees Lance drop down to the child’s level.  


‘Hey Charlie, I’m Lance,’ he says softly. ‘Do you want a drink?’  


Keith takes a few steps into the lounge room, and the child comes into his line of sight. He’s nodding shyly.  


‘Come on then, Keith is here and he can get you something to drink,’ Lance says, holding out a hand.  


Charlie takes it and looks around the house with wide eyes as Lance leads him to the kitchen. Keith manages a small smile.  


‘Hi Charlie, we’ve got orange juice,’ he says, amazed at how smooth and not terrified his voice comes out.  


The toddler nods, looking up at him.  


Keith’s heart melts, and he turns to the DHS worker. ‘Jess? Tea or coffee?’  


‘I’m fine thank you Keith, I have some paperwork here for the two of you, and the placement schedule. I’ll also have to do a quick check of the house, but I’m sure everything will be fine,’ Jess rattles off, sitting herself on their couch.  


Charlie accepts his cup of juice with a shy smile, and wanders back over to Jess.  


Lance and Keith sit close together, watching Charlie with an odd fascination. He potters around the lounge, examining photos and corners and checking under the couch.  


Jess continues and the boys realise they should probably pay attention. Lance threads his fingers through Keith’s and squeezes tightly.  


‘So we’ll have someone popping in every week for the next month, and then it will become more spaced out as the placement progresses, as long as we feel that Charlie isn’t in any danger with the two of you,’ Jess chatters.  


Keith feels a light touch on his leg and looks down. Charlie is staring at him shyly, fiddling with a button on his jacket.  


‘Hey buddy,’ Keith says gently. ‘You okay?’  


Charlie points at the giant pile of toys (overkill, as Hunk had described it) in the corner.  


‘Yeah, you can play with those,’ Keith smiles, standing up and moving towards the box. ‘Here, this is a weird… robot lion thing. What colour do you want?’  


Charlie points to the red one, steadying himself on Keith’s knee. He takes the red robot lion gingerly, and moves its legs and tail, then opens its jaws. He holds it up to Keith’s face and growls. Keith grins, and pulls another lion from the pile - a black one with red wings.  


‘Can we do this without him?’ Lance asks quietly, and Jess nods with a smile. They continue chatting together about the details, and Keith happily makes explosion sounds every time Charlie crashes their lions together.  


‘Do you have any questions?’ Jess asks once she’s finished, and Lance shakes his head.  


‘I think I’ve got everything, and I have your number in case anything goes wrong,’ he says with a smile, holding up her business card.  


‘Excellent. I checked the house yesterday and everything was perfect. I suppose that’s me done. He has a small suitcase of clothing here, you might need to get him some more,’ Jess says, ticking off her fingers. ‘I think I’m done.’  


‘Awesome, thank you so much,’ Lance beams, shaking her hand. Keith appears at his elbow, and also takes her offered hand.  


‘Really,’ he adds. ‘Thank you.’  


‘No problems!’ she replies, grinning. ‘Charlie, I’m going now… be good!’  


He responds to her wave with a little one of his own, and the door shuts behind her.  


Then they’re alone.  


Well, they’re alone with a child.  


They stand shoulder to shoulder in the doorway, watching him play with the toys.  


‘Now what?’ Keith whispers.  


‘I guess we just let him wander around?’ Lance replies, picking up Charlie’s bag. ‘I’ll go put his stuff away.’  


‘Do you wanna call Hunk and Shay?’  


Lance shakes his head. ‘Not yet.’  


They watch Charlie crash the lions into each other for a few more minutes, then Lance disappears to empty Charlie’s tiny suitcase into his new chest of drawers. Keith hovers warily, until his husband reappears.  


Lance threads his fingers through Keith’s.  


‘Now what?’ Keith whispers again, and Lance chuckles. Charlie looks over at them curiously before returning to the pile of toys.  


‘Dunno,’ Lance says with a grin. ‘We’ll wing it.’

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> You can find me on tumblr as magical-merlance !


End file.
